The Most Favorable Matchups

Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers

Gordon didn’t appear hampered by his hamstring injury in Week 9 after he played 88% of the snaps for the Chargers and saw 17 touches. On deck is a Raiders defense that is terrible in all facets of the game, possessing the fifth-worst run-defense grade, per Pro Football Focus.

Gordon carries an average rank of 4.0 among our rankers.

Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns

The Falcons are one of five teams that allowed 10 or more touchdowns on the ground this season. PFF grades the Falcons with the sixth-worst run defense, which could bode well for Chubb, who has seen a massive workload increase following the Carlos Hyde trade.

Furthermore, the Falcons’ Cover 3 scheme allows pass-catching running backs to exploit them through the air. Duke saw a season-high nine targets under the new coaching regime. The Browns were in a negative game script for most of the game against the Chiefs — which benefitted Johnson — but hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

Chubb (19.7) and Duke (24.0) are both solid RB2/Flex plays, carrying average ranks inside the top 25.

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

Barkley’s 21.1 touches per game ranks fourth among all running backs this season, and his 8.9 targets per game ranks second. That’s important because targets are more valuable than carries, and the Giants possess the 11th-worst run-blocking unit, per PFF. Even so, the 49ers’ run defense isn’t much better, ranking 29th in PFF’s run defense grades.

Matchup Downgrade

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

The Jets rank eighth in PFF’s run-defense grades, but the Bills offense has been absurdly bad this season. McCoy has just 453 yards of total offense, and he’s rushed for just 23 yards on his past 22 carries — good for 1.04 yards per carry.

Moreover, the Bills check in as 7.5-point underdogs this week, and they’re implied for a slate-low 14.5 points.

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